Wednesday, March 09, 2022

Oh SNOW!! Oh POCO!!

In the morning, 

a few patches of icy snow

remained in the yard, 

some shaped

like white eyebrows 

speckled black.

By afternoon, though,

when she was out with the dog, 

the yard was completely

free and clear

of winter.


She found herself yelling

across the meadow

"ONLY TWELVE DAYS



TILL SPRING! YES!"

The dog wagged her tail

and the wind lifted the

black hair on her head,

and she just stood there

and listened steadily.


Now comes the next day

and the white stuff

roars down at a hard angle

and falls as intense fluff

and mixes with sleet 

to spit new piles

on the ground.

Today, she is

indoors,

looking outdoors

and telling herself

she can't tolerate

one more snowy day.

She is about to

shout "I HATE IT 
I'M SO DAMN SICK OF IT!"

when she

glances at the 

dog stretched out

in her easy chair:

her black head

wedged between

the arm and the cushion,


her little white body

gently rising and falling

with her steady breath.

Ever so softly she

snores the

afternoon away.

It hits her then.

Why is she 

labeling the snow 

black or white?

Maybe

the "YES!/NO!"

"snow/no snow"

"good day/bad day"

dichotomy is

silly and

unnecessary.

Instead, do as 

Poco does,

just be with 

it, however 

it is right now,

no matter,

the snow

like so much else

is just part of all 

the glory there is to live

and love.


Saturday, March 05, 2022

We Said Goodbye Two Years Ago

By Harold Hastings

Remembering my Dearest on her second yahrzeit

We said goodbye two years ago
But in a way we didn’t
A large part of me joined you on your final journey
But you gave me your spark
And it remained a part of me
We are together when I see the world through your eyes
We said goodbye two years ago
But in a way we didn’t

This is a photo which shows my wife as an active partner as we built a
kayak in 2013. It was one of the many things we shared, and it was part
of a "memory board" in our last spring together.


Harold Hastings is a research scientist, college teacher and writer, and
is thrilled to be a member of what might be termed the Hevreh art salon.
He has lived in the Berkshires since 2012. Harold credits family,
friends and faith for sustaining him after losing his wife of more than
50 wonderful years.